Live updates: Pakistan accuses Houthis of killing its nationals in the Red Sea as Hormuz deal hopes fade

Pakistan’s foreign minister has said three of its nationals were killed and one more wounded in an attack by the Houthi militia on a commercial vessel in the Red Sea.

The deaths would mark the first fatalities in the Red Sea since the Yemen-based, Iran-backed Houthis declared a blockade of the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on July 20. They also follow on the heels of Pakistan signing a mutual defense treaty with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, as the Middle East conflict threatens to widen.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel,” Ishaq Dar wrote on X.

“Such attacks endanger innocent lives, constitute a violation of international law, and pose a serious threat to freedom of navigation, maritime security, and the safety of commercial shipping in the Red Sea.”

Yemen’s internationally recognized government earlier accused the Houthis of killing four crew members and two rescue workers in a “double-tap” strike against a Saudi-owned vessel sailing through the strait.

The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strike via the group’s news agency Saba on Tuesday, saying the ship was carrying military equipment. Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to the claim.

The group warned last month that it would target any Saudi shipping seeking to transit the strait, in response to a long-standing Saudi blockade against the group, which controls much of northern Yemen.

Signed earlier this month, the mutual defense pact between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey stipulates an attack against any of them “shall be regarded as an attack against them all.”

Speaking to reporters during a briefing on Wednesday, Tahir Andrabi, spokesperson for Islamabad’s foreign ministry, said as a signatory to the deal, the country is “ready and willing to assist Saudi Arabia and other coalition partners to preserve the security and safety of maritime traffic.”

Andrabi said Pakistan is in touch with the Saudi Arabian and Yemeni governments to seek more information on the strike.